A letter report issued by the Government Accountability Office with an abstract that begins "Medicare's payments for the costs physicians incur in operating their practices are based on two sets of estimates: total practice expenses and resource estimates for individual services. Total practice expense estimates were derived from American Medical Association (AMA) physician surveys, which the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) refines with supplemental data submitted by medical specialty societies. Resource estimates for individual services were developed by expert panels and refined by CMS with recommendations from another expert panel. In response to a mandate in the Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000, GAO evaluated CMS's processes for updating total practice expense and resource estimates and whether CMS will have the data necessary to update the fee schedule at least every 5 years as mandated by law."

Document issued by the Office of the Attorney General of Texas in Austin, Texas, providing an interpretation of Texas law. It provides the opinion of the Texas Attorney General, Greg Abbott, regarding a legal question submitted for clarification; Whether the Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division is properly interpreting the equal employment opportunity training requirement of Labor Code section 21.556(a) (RQ-0240-GA)

We present a study, based on simulations with SERDYCA, a spatially-explicit individual-based model of rodent dynamics, on the relation between population persistence and the presence of numerous isolated disturbances in the habitat. We are specifically interested in the effect of disturbances that do not fragment the environment on population persistence. Our results suggest that the presence of disturbances in the absence of fragmentation can actually increase the average time to extinction of the modeled population. The presence of disturbances decreases population density but can increase the chance for mating in monogamous species and consequently, the ratio of juveniles in the population. It thus provides a better chance for the population to restore itself after a severe period with critically low population density. We call this the ''disturbance-forced localization effect''.

Waveguides were written in soda lime silicate glasses with a composition of xNa{sub 2}O xCaO (1-2x)SiO{sub 2}, where x = 15 and 20, using an amplified femtosecond laser. The waveguides formed around, not inside the exposed regions. This is similar to the waveguide behavior our group first observed in a phosphate glass, Schott IOG-1, and is distinctly different from fused silica in which the waveguides are inside the exposed regions. This data supports the rapid quenching theory, i.e. that the exposed regions cool rapidly, locking in a glass structure with a high fictive temperature, with the dependence of the refractive index on the glass cooling rate determining the qualitative behavior of the waveguides.

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At present the ETA beam energy as measured by the ETA energy analyzer and the DARHT spectrometer differ by {approx}12%. This discrepancy is due to two sources, an overestimate of the effective length of the ETA energy analyzer bending-field, and data reduction methods that are not valid. The discrepancy can be eliminated if we return to the original process of measuring the angular deflection of the beam and use a value of 43.2cm for the effective length of the axial field profile.

The increasing rate of growth in size of currently available datasets is a well known issue. The possibility of developing fast and easy to implement frameworks able to visualize at least part of a tera-sized volume is a challenging task. Subdivision methods in recent years have been one of the most successful techniques applied to the multiresolution representation and visualization of surface meshes. Extensions of these techniques to the volumetric case presents positive effects and major challenges mainly concerning the generalization of the combinatorial structure of the refinement procedure and the analysis of the smoothness of the limit mesh. In this paper we address mainly the first part of the problem, presenting a framework that exploits a subdivision scheme suitable for extension to 3D and higher dimensional meshes.

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The Computational Physics Group of the Earth Sciences Division focuses much of its effort on improving current understanding of the response of geologic media to strong shock waves, and on the interaction of those waves with underground structures. Two codes have been developed and used to achieve these objectives: LDEC and GEODYN. Both codes are three-dimensional and massively parallel, and they have both been used on LLNLs high performance computing platforms to advance the state of the art in computational geophysics.

This report is a guide to appropriations of Legislative Branch for FY2005.

This report provides background on the research and potential applications of research that uses embryonic and adult stem cells. It also provides information about the current federal and state regulatory landscape, related Congressional and international actions, and relevant ethical concerns.

This is a final report on DE-FG03-00ER45843 entitled ''Coulomb Glasses''. The work is continuing under grant DE-FG02-04ER46107 under the DOE Chicago Operations office. During the award period from August 15, 2000 to December 31, 2003, they studied the following: (1) 1/f Noise in Coulomb Glasses; (2) Coulomb glass phase transitions as a function of positional disorder; (3) a new structural probe of the structural glass transition; and (4) frequency dependence and equilibration of the specific heat of glass forming liquids.

This funding supported investigations of the behavior of complex materials. Very often the chosen materials were structurally complex, since in such cases more and new degrees of freedom that lead to more complicated interactions and more variable behavior. We summarize the most successful parts of that research: (1) implementation of Wannier functions to obtain magnetic coupling constants in magnetic insulators; (2) quasiparticle (single-particle excitation) studies of LiH under high pressure; (3) time-dependent density functional theory applied to study energy loss processes in superconducting MgB2.

A new chemical detection technology has been realized that addresses DOE environmental management needs. The new technology is based on a variant of the sensitive optical absorption technique, cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS). Termed evanescent-wave cavity ring-down spectroscopy (EW-CRDS), the technology employs a miniature solid-state optical resonator having an extremely high Q-factor as the sensing element, where the high-Q is achieved by using ultra-low-attenuation optical materials, ultra-smooth surfaces, and ultra-high reflectivity coatings, as well as low-diffraction-loss designs. At least one total-internal reflection (TIR) mirror is integral to the resonator permitting the concomitant evanescent wave to probe the ambient environment. Several prototypes have been designed, fabricated, characterized, and applied to chemical detection. Moreover, extensions of the sensing concept have been explored to enhance selectivity, sensitivity, and range of application. Operating primarily in the visible and near IR regions, the technology inherently enables remote detection by optical fiber. Producing 11 archival publications, 5 patents, 19 invited talks, 4 conference proceedings, a CRADA, and a patent-license agreement, the project has realized a new chemical detection technology providing >100 times more sensitivity than comparable technologies, while also providing practical advantages.

The adiabatic two-phase frictional multipliers for SUVA, R-134a flowing in a rectangular duct (with D{sub H} = 4.8 mm) have been measured for 3 nominal system pressures (0.9 MPa, 1.38 MPa and 2.41 MPa) and 3 nominal mass fluxes (510, 1020 and 2040 kg/m{sup 2}/s). The data is compared with several classical correlations to assess their predictive capabilities. The Lockhart-Martinelli model gives reasonable results at the lowest pressure and mass flux, near the operating range of most refrigeration systems, but gives increasingly poor comparisons as the pressure and mass flux is increased. The Chisholm B-coefficient model is found to best predict the data over the entire range of test conditions; however, there is significant disagreement at the highest pressure tested (with the model over predicting the data upwards of 100% for some cases). The data shows an increased tendency toward homogeneous flow as the pressure and flow rate are increased, and in fact the homogeneous model best predicts the bulk of the data at the highest pressure tested.

The evolution of global and local stress/strain conditions in test fasteners under test conditions is investigated using elastic-plastic, time-dependent finite element analyses (FEA). For elastic-plastic response, tensile data from multiple specimens, material heats and test temperatures are integrated into a single, normalized flow curve from which temperature dependency is extracted. A primary creep model is calibrated with specimen- and fastener-based thermal relaxation data generated under a range of times, temperatures, stress levels and environments. These material inputs are used in analytical simulations of experimental test conditions for several types of fasteners. These fastener models are constructed with automated routines and contact conditions prescribed at all potentially mating surfaces. Thermal or mechanical room temperature pre-loading, as appropriate for a given fastener, is followed by a temperature ramp and a dwell time at constant temperature. While the amount of thermal stress relaxation is limited for the conditions modeled, local stress states are highly dependent upon geometry (thread root radius, for example), pre-loading history and thermal expansion differences between the test fastener and test fixture. Benefits of this FE approach over an elastic methodology for stress calculation will be illustrated with correlations of Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) initiation time and crack orientations in …

On December 9, the reference case projections from ''Annual Energy Outlook 2005 (AEO 2005)'' were posted on the Energy Information Administration's (EIA) web site. As some of you may be aware, we at LBNL have in the past compared the EIA's reference case long-term natural gas price forecasts from the AEO series to contemporaneous natural gas prices that can be locked in through the forward market, with the goal of better understanding fuel price risk and the role that renewables play in mitigating such risk. As such, we were curious to see how the latest AEO gas price forecast compares to the NYMEX natural gas futures strip. This brief memo presents our findings. As a refresher, our past work in this area has found that over the past four years, forward natural gas contracts (e.g., gas futures, swaps, and physical supply) have traded at a premium relative to contemporaneous long-term reference case gas price forecasts from the EIA. As such, we have concluded that, over the past four years at least, levelized cost comparisons of fixed-price renewable generation with variable price gas-fired generation that have been based on AEO natural gas price forecasts (rather than forward prices) have yielded results …

This project involved a systematic study to apply newly discovered isotopic enrichment effects in laser ablation plumes to the fabrication of isotopically engineered thin films, superlattices, and nanostructures. The approach to this program involved using ultrafast lasers as a method for generating ablated plasmas that have preferentially structured isotopic content in the body of the ablation plasma plumes. In examining these results we have attempted to interpret the observations in terms of a plasma centrifuge process that is driven by the internal electro-magnetic fields of the plasma itself. The research plan involved studying the following phenomena in regard to the ablation plume and the isotopic mass distribution within it: (1) Test basic equations of steady state centrifugal motion in the ablation plasma. (2) Investigate angular distribution of ions in the ablation plasmas. (3) Examine interactions of plasma ions with self-generated magnetic fields. (3) Investigate ion to neutral ratios in the ablation plasmas. (5) Test concepts of plasma pumping. (6) Fabricate isotopically enriched nanostructures.

This report discusses in the first section different philosophies about how the tax burden should be distributed, and what those philosophies imply for the shape of the tax system. In particular, it addresses the question of the justifications for a progressive tax system (one where the share of income collected as a tax rises as income rises). This section is presented for the interested reader, but is not a necessary preliminary to examining the analysis in the second section, which presents estimates of the distribution of the federal and total U.S. tax burden. The third section of the report discusses the measures that can be used to characterize the distributional effects of tax changes.

Daily newspaper from Baytown, Texas that includes local, state, and national news along with advertising.

This paper illustrates the applicability of a sequential fluid mechanics, multi-zone chemical kinetics model to analyze HCCI experimental data for two combustion chamber geometries with different levels of turbulence: a low turbulence disc geometry (flat top piston), and a high turbulence square geometry (piston with a square bowl). The model uses a fluid mechanics code to determine temperature histories in the engine as a function of crank angle. These temperature histories are then fed into a chemical kinetic solver, which determines combustion characteristics for a relatively small number of zones (40). The model makes the assumption that there is no direct linking between turbulence and combustion. The results show that the multi-zone model yields good results for both the disc and the square geometries. The model makes good predictions of pressure traces and heat release rates. The experimental results indicate that the high turbulence square geometry has longer burn duration than the low turbulence disc geometry. This difference can be explained by the sequential multi-zone model, which indicates that the cylinder with the square bowl has a thicker boundary layer that results in a broader temperature distribution. This broader temperature distribution tends to lengthen the combustion, as cold mass within …

This paper examines the use of an in-core database in place of traditional data structures in two ASC codes. Results so far indicate a dramatic reduction in code, coupled with an increase in functionality. Performance impact has been around one percent for the majority of problems tested. Debugging has been the major roadblock thus far, and a portable browser tool has been written that will soon work with a variety of debuggers.

This report discusses a brief accounting of national saving, household saving, business saving and public saving.

The Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) has been around for around 30 years, and in that time computer networks have increased in speed and reliability many times over. TCP has done very well to maintain stability and avoid collapse from congestion in the Internet with this incredible increase in speed. But as the speed of networks continues to increase, some assumptions about the underlying network that influenced the design of TCP may no longer hold valid. Additionally, modern networks often span many different types of links. For example, one end-to-end transmission may traverse both an optical link (high-bandwidth, low-loss) and a wireless network (low-bandwidth, high loss). TCP does not perform well in these situations. This survey will examine some of the reasons for this, focusing on high-bandwidth networks, and offer some solutions that have been proposed to fix these problems. This paper assumes basic knowledge of the TCP protocol.